Toy vehicle



July 31, 1928; I 1,678,785

H. PFAFFENBERGER TOY VEHICLE Filed uarc nsl. 192'! 2 Sheets- Sheet I July 31, 192s. 1,678,785

H. PFAFFENBERGER TOY vmucm-z Filed March 31. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JNVENTUR Patented July 31, 1928 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HANS rnanrnnnnnenn, 'or nunamnnae, GERMANY.

TOY VEHICLE.

Application filed March 31, 1927, Serial No. 179,976,'and in Germany April 10, 1928.'

This invention has for its object to create a toy-vehicle, the character of which may be altered by exchanging building elements, this exchanging being easy to carry out. A transformable toy-vehicle, adapted to be transformed by interchanging the carriagebody on a stationary chassis'has become known. In toy-vehicles of this type it is possible to-change a toy Vehicle running on roads into another toy vehicle running on roads and a toy vehicle running on rails into another toy-vehicle running on rails. It is however. not possible to transform a toyvehicle running on rails into a toy-vehicle running on roads and inversely, i. e. the two types of toy-vehicles cannot be interchanged.

This advantage is obtained by the present invention.

On an under-frame, common for the two types of toy-vehicles, the interchangeable elements, as sets of wheels and carriagebodies of the type of vehicles or of the vehicle, are removably mounted so that the same under-frame can be used in connection with sets of wheels and carriage vbodies of any of the two types of toy-vehicles. For mounting the sets of wheels in position, two pairs of vertical slots for the insertion of the wheel-axles, are provided in the longitudinal flanges of an under-frame, adapted for all vehicles and carryin a driving spring mechanism said slots icing arranged at different distances and at different heights,

open at the lower ends, and forming at the top end each one half of an axle bearing, .the longitudinal flanges of a slidable plate guided in this under-frame havin two pairs of angular slots, which when t e slidable plate is shifted accordingly, are adjusted or interchanging the sets of wheels, so that their vertical arms register with the slots of the flanges of the under-frame. For locking the inserted wheel-axles-the sliding plate is shifted in opposite direction so that the lower edges of the horizontal arms of said angular slots bear from below under the wheel axles. In this manner it is possible to rapidly interchange and look into their position two different sets of wheels which comprise different wheels, said wheels being differently spaced according to whether they belong to a vehicle running on roads or to a vehicle running on rails. The underframe of a vehicle running on roads can therefore be used also for a vehicle running on rails and inversely.

For completing the transformation the interchanging of the upper structures on the under-frame for the corresponding types of toy-vehicles must be adapted to be rap idly carried out.- According to the invention this rapid exchanging is rendered possible as each of the upper structures forms an elastic snapping element or carries elastic elements which, when the upper structure is pressed from above upon the under-frame engage under the edge of the platform of the under-frame and give way elastically wien the upper structure is suddenly pulled o An embodiment of the-new transformation toy-vehicle is illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 shows the under-frame,

Fig. 2 the slidable locking plate,

Fig, 3 these elements united in the position in which the wheel axles are locked and further the seat of a bottom-plate of a. carriage body. These three figures are all shown in longitudinal sect-ion on line A-B of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 shows in plan view, seen from below, the under-frame.

Fig. 5 is a cross section on line CD,

Fig. 6 is a cross section on line EF,

"Fig. 7 a cross section on line G-H of Fig. 3.

Fig. 8 shows, as example for a toy-vehicle running on rails, a locomotive and Fig. 9 as example of a toy-vehicle running on roads, a motor car, which may be combined selectively.

The platform a of the under-frame carries a spring-driving mechanism 6, the extreme driving wheel a of which is designed to drive a pinion keyed on the driving wheel-axle d. In the longitudinal flanges g of the under-frame two pairs of vertical slots it and i are arranged which are open at the bottom end and form at their top ends each one half of anaxle bearing ls. The slots J1. are arranged lower down and closer together than the slots 2'. The slots it are designed to receive the axles l, on which the running wheels m for vehicles running on rails are mounted at a shorter distance the one from the other and of a smaller diameter.

The'slots i serve to receive the axles d, the running wheels 1 which are des1gned to run on roads, having a greater diameter and they are mounted at a greater distance the one from the other.

In this under-frame a slidable-platen, p is guided. Two flapsserving as handles are cut out of the top-p ate 0 of this slidable plate.

In the longitudinal flanges p of this slidable plate angular slots 1', s and t, 'u, are arranged. The vertical arms of the slots 1' are spaced at a distance equal to that of the slots h. The distance between the vertical arms t of the slots .t, u is equal tothat between the slots i. The arms 1' of the slots can be made to register with the slots h and the arms t of the slots can be made to register with the slots i. When the slots are in the registering position the child can insert or remove the running wheel-axles. When, the axles being inserted, the handle of the slidable plate is pulled to the rear into the position shown in Fig. 3, the lower edges o of the horizontal arms 8, u, i. e. the locking. noses w, are pushed under the axles WlllCll' are thus locked in the under-frame and can be lifted with the frame from the floor, table or other support. The shifting of the slidable plate to the rear, and for removing the axles the shifting to the front, are limited by flanges a: bent downward from the short sides of the platform a. Holding flaps y grip from below over the middle of the lower edges of the slidable plate.

As example of a carria e body for a vehicle running on roads to %e mounted on the under-frame a, g, a motor car-body 3 with engine-bonnet 4, foot-board 5 and wheelguards 6 is shown on the drawing; A boiler 7 with engineers cabin 8 is shown as example for the body of a vehicle running on rails. Any other types of the body for vehicles runningon roads or on rails may however be used. According to the invention each of these carriage bodies is mounted on a base-plate 9 which has elastic downwardly directe flaps 10 at the short sides and downwardly turned flanges 10 on the lon sides and grippin over the long sides 0 the platform w of he under-frame. Bosses 11 on the inner surfaces of the end flaps 10 slip, when the carriage-body is strongl gressed upon the platform a, along the emf:

anges w of this platform to snap in under the lower end of said flaps. The carriagebody is thus fixed well enough on the underframe so that the whole vehicle can be lifted 1 by gripping the carriage-body.

To remove the carria e-bod it is only necessary to pull it away om t e under-frame by holdmg this under-frame with the other hand. As the end-flaps 10 are elastic, the bosses 11 give way.

The manipulations which the child has to carry out to transform a toy vehicle runare very simple. The carriage body 3, 4 has to be pulled off with a jerk, the slidable plate has to be pushed forward with the aid of the handle 9' until it strikes against the downwardly turned flange m at the front end and the sets of wheels n, d are removed, whereupon the axles of the sets of wheels m, Z for a vehicle running on rails are inserted into the slots h, r to be locked in this position by pulling back the slidable plate up to the rear-end flange w, the carriage-body 7, 8 being then placed and pressed upon the platform 0. Although the slidable plate with the locking noses w forms the simplest manner of locking the inserted wheel-axles, other locking means may be used without departin from the general idea of the invention. Ihe bosses 11 might be made to engage under other edges of the platform of the under-frame as under the bottom edges of the front flaps. The main characteristic of the invention is the possibility to put together toy-vehicles not only of the several element's belonging to one of the two types of toy-vehicles i. e. toy-vehicles running on rails'and toy vehicles running on roads butalso the transformation of a toy-vehicle of one type into a toy-vehicle of the other type by using the same under-frame for vehicles of an type.

I c aim 1. An under-frame for toy vehicles running on roads and for toy vehicles running on rails, a downwardly directed flange on each long side of said under-frame said flange having two pairs of slots upwardly extending from the lower edge of sald flange and forming at the upper end one half of an axle bearing the slots of the one pair being spaced at other distance and being of a slidable plate on said under-frame, a downwardly directed flange on each long side of said plate said flanges having each two pairs of angular slots open at the lower end each slot composed of a vertical arm and of an upper horizontal arm formin together a locking nose the vertical arms 0 said slots being spaced at the same distance and being of the same heightvas the vertical arm of the corresponding slots in said flanges of said under-frame, said under-frame and slidable plate adapted to combine selectivel with either one of a plurality of sets of w eels to represent the w eel sets for vehicles running on roads or on rails said sets of wheels being locked in position b the noses of the corre-' 2. An under-frame for toy vehicles running on roads and for toy vehicles running on rails, a downwardly directed flange on each 'long side of said under-frame said flange having two pairs of slots upwardly extending from the lower edge of said flange and forming at the upper end one half of an axle bearing the slots of the one pair being spaced at other distance and being of other height than the slots" of the other pair, a slidable plate on said under-frame, a downwardly directed flange on each long side of said plate-said flanges having each two pairs of angular slots open at the lower end, each slot composed of a vertical arm and of an upper horizontal arm forming together a locking nose the 'vertical arms of said slots being spaced at the same distance and being of the same height as the vertical arm of the corresponding slots in said flanges of said under-frame, said under-frame and slid able plate adapted to combine selectively with either one of a plurality of sets of wheels to represent the wheel sets for vehicles running on roads or on rails and with either one of a plurality of carriage bodies to represent any kind of vehicles running on roads or on rails, flaps stamped out of said slidable plate and bent down to serve as handles, downwardly turned flanges at the short sides of said under frame to serve as abutments for said slidable plate to lock said sets of wheels by the noses of the corresponding slots, and means for securely holding a carriage body on said under frame.

3. An under-frame for toy vehicles running on roads and for toy vehicles running on rails, a downwardly directed flange on each long side of said under-frame said flange having two irs of slots upwardly extending from the ower edge of said flange and'forming at the upper end one half of an axlebearing the slots of the one pair being spaced at other distance and being of other height than the slots of the other pair, a slidable plate on said under-frame, a downwardly directed flange on each long side of said plate said flanges having each two pairs of angular slots open at the lower end, each slot composed of a vertical arm and of an upper horizontal arm forming together a locking nose the vertical arms of said slots being spaced at the same distance and being of the same height as the vertical arm of the corresponding slots in said flanges of said under-frame, said under-frame and slidable plate adapted to combine selectively with either one of a lurality of sets of wheels to represent the w eel sets for vehicles running on roads or on rails and with either one of a plurality of carriage bodies to represent any kind of vehicles running on roads or on rails,-

HANS PFAFFENBERGER. 

